book now or wait for last minute deal??

[rain_bowbrite]

Should we book now or wait to book in hopes of there being a last minute deal:confused:?

 

Interested in the March 31st sailing on the Zuiderdam. The price right now is actually not that bad on an oceanview cabin due to the view and verandah sale. It's $749 I believe. My sister and I want to take a cruise this week (works with spring break schedule and a cruise conference I'm attending) and we have narrowed it down to the Caribbean Princess, April 1st and the Zuiderdam March 31st. We want a very good price and aren't too concerned with the stateroom location, category, etc. Should we book now or do you think there is a chance of getting on one of these sailings on a last minute deal. Would rather pay around $599 per person.

 

My concerns are that since this is spring break time that both of these sailings will sell really well and that no last minute deals will be available. My hope is that most families will not be interested in cruising with HAL and there will be a last minute deal to be had. I am playing russian "cruising" roulette??:rolleyes:

 

There is also a small chance that this sailing might be available as a fam trip for the conference I'm attending but we will not know until around the end of Feb. or beginning of March, which is also the time that there might be a last minute deal:eek: ! What to do? What to do? To book ahead or not to book ahead:rolleyes: ?

 

Any advice is welcomed.

 

Thanks,

 

Jodie

[dakrewser]

The best candidates for last minute booking are 7-day cruises on fairly frequent itineraries. Conversely, 10+ day cruises on itineraries that only happen once or twice a year can often sell out 12-15 months in advance.

 

Best chance would be right after final payment date.

[rain_bowbrite]

Thanks Dave...good tip. This sailing a a 7 nighter and a frequent intinerary.

 

Jodie

[u4ea]

Jodie, if you have your mind on a particular ship and/or sailing and think the price is fair, you should book it.:) The problem is: you never know, a group or something could come along and fill the ship, then you get nothing. If price drops before final payment, you can commonly rebook. Last minute deals are best for the very flexible.(like me):cool:

Mark….

[lvtotrvl1]

The price that you are seeing right now is a good price. I don't think you will find it less for the dates you are travelling. You are an agent. Why don't you contact HAL for agent rates on the sailing?

[MercedMike]

Should we book now or wait to book in hopes of there being a last minute deal:confused:?

 

... I am playing russian "cruising" roulette??:rolleyes:

 

Well, Jodie, you pretty well summed it up, didn't you? I think you have a very clear picture of exactly what the options are.

 

Deals are very flaky and unpredictable. Often they are for the least desirable cabins. Also you have to consider the availability of air fares and the prices. Air fares frequently go up just at the time cruise prices go down.

 

Personally, I am a belt and suspenders guy. I think you have a good price now and I would book it. Then the gamble I am taking is on the Upgrade Fairy!

 

I have been known to go to Reno for a weekend and stick to a budget of $20 in the casino! Do you like to gamble? What are your possible losses? You might wind up in a Motel 6 in Reno that week??;)

[rain_bowbrite]

The price that you are seeing right now is a good price. I don't think you will find it less for the dates you are travelling. You are an agent. Why don't you contact HAL for agent rates on the sailing?

 

good point I am an agent but a fairly new one and am not eligible for agent rates yet...haven't earned my IATAN card yet.

 

also too early for agent rates..they are usually not available until a month before sailing.;)

 

but you are right it is a good price... there are too many variables...lol

 

Jodie

[rain_bowbrite]

Well, Jodie, you pretty well summed it up, didn't you? I think you have a very clear picture of exactly what the options are.

 

Deals are very flaky and unpredictable. Often they are for the least desirable cabins. Also you have to consider the availability of air fares and the prices. Air fares frequently go up just at the time cruise prices go down.

 

Personally, I am a belt and suspenders guy. I think you have a good price now and I would book it. Then the gamble I am taking is on the Upgrade Fairy!

 

I have been known to go to Reno for a weekend and stick to a budget of $20 in the casino! Do you like to gamble? What are your possible losses? You might wind up in a Motel 6 in Reno that week??;)

 

Too bad my decisions are sometimes known to be flaky and unpreditable.:p

 

I just don't want to spend a lot on this cruise since I have two others in 2007 and I am definitely not made of money...lol

 

There are several cruises departing that week and any of them would be fine for us. And our odds are much better when we add Carnival, RCCL, and NCL into the mix, I am sure "kinda" that there is a last minute deal to be had! Although I was hoping to give the sister a more upscale cruise experience than what we just experienced on NCL's Majesty last week. The ship was dingy and the food was horrible.

 

Jodie

[hammybee]

Jodie,

You do not mention how you are going to get to the cruise. Are you able to drive or do you need to fly in? I am desperate for a cruise in the latter part of March for the obvious reason that's it's Spring Break and my DD is available and we need a 7 day intinerary. The airfares from Chicago blow me away. I could and maybe will fly to Europe for the same amount.

 

If you are flying in, the costs of doing so are only going to get worse, regardless of which cruise line you end up sailing on. So if you have your heart set on a cruise, I think you have to lock in the airfare NOW, unless of course, you can drive to the port. If you have to lock in air, then it's best to figure out which port you are going to sail from lest you waste the better part of sail day driving in Florida at prime time.

 

Good luck to you no matter what you do.

[rain_bowbrite]

Hammybe I am driving down from GA but sister wants to fly in from NC. You are right, for her it will probably be less expensive to go ahead and book now.

 

Thanks everyone for humoring me with your time and your advice! I didn't think I would get so many responses and so quickly! I love cruise critic.

 

I will let you know what we decide to do.

 

Jodie

[dakrewser]

Hammybe I am driving down from GA but sister wants to fly in from NC. You are right, for her it will probably be less expensive to go ahead and book now.

 

Thanks everyone for humoring me with your time and your advice! I didn't think I would get so many responses and so quickly! I love cruise critic.

 

I will let you know what we decide to do.

 

Jodie

 

Currently I'm showing $198 as the low price NYC-FLL for all of 2007 (i.e., available almost anytime) so waiting shouldn't be a problem.

[kryos]

Should we book now or wait to book in hopes of there being a last minute deal:confused:?

Are you a gambler? If so, then yeah ... maybe wait until the last minute and hope for a killer deal. But know that you could also wind up closed out of both of these cruises if they sell well and the ship is booked solid.

 

There are definitely great deals for booking at the last minute. No question. I've seen people get deals almost half of what I paid. But then I've also seen people wait too long and have a sailing completely sell out, leaving them with no ship to take on the week they wanted to sail.

 

Personally, I would only wait for a last minute deal if I was very flexible as to sailing date. If I had a range of weeks to sail and could go with pretty much any one of them, then yeah ... I would wait for the last minute deal. But if I was on Spring Break only one particular week, and had to sail that week or else, I'd go ahead and book when I found a price I could live with.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

I just don't want to spend a lot on this cruise since I have two others in 2007 and I am definitely not made of money...lol

Do you have a home port in your city? You might be able to book something within a couple of weeks sailing from there. Then airfare wouldn't be a consideration. If you book airfare at the last minute, you're gonna pay a bundle. If you go ahead and book it now, and then you can't get a cruise that week, you've wasted the money on your airline ticket, which likely won't be refundable.

 

That's something else to consider too.

 

If I was gonna do a last minute cruise, I'd try to get something out of New York or Philadelphia ... this way it's either a cab ride to the pier, or a train ride. Either way, I avoid the airlines and non-refundable tickets if something goes amiss.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Tricia724]

Here's my criteria for booking now or waiting for the "deal":

 

1) Do you really want to take this cruise at this time.....or would you be happy sailing with another line or on another itinerary or at another time or even taking a different type of vacation (beach, resort, Disney World, land-based, etc.)?

 

2) Are you particular about your cabin or deck or prefer a certain location......or are you happy with any old cabin on the ship?

 

3) If this cruise doesn't materialize, do you care?

 

4) Would you be happier taking the cruise.....or would you be happier getting a "deal"?

 

5) Do you feel that the current price is fair for the cruise?

 

6) If you don't book and the cruise sells out, will you be kicking yourself for not booking earlier?

 

It's all about flexibility.....and whether you have any!

 

On any type of trip I take, the first thing I do is decide whether it's worth the money (to me.) If so, then I have to decide just how much I really want to go. If I don't care one way or another, then I'm willing to wait and see whether something better comes along......and if you don't care, something always comes along.

 

SO.....if you have your heart set on this cruise, book it.....and hope that if the price drops, it will drop before final payment! But if you have a Plan B or a Plan C......sit on it awhile and see what happens.

[rain_bowbrite]

Thanks everyone for you cruise booking wisdom and advice!! We have decided to gamble it and wait for a last minute. I guess if all ships end up being booked solid we will be okay and not be too upset:rolleyes: .

 

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!

 

Jodie